Returning from DataCentres North 2018 in Manchester, it was becoming clear that the conversation around data centre energy infrastructure was beginning to shift. While much of the industry remained focused on standby diesel resilience, discussions were emerging around onsite gas-fired generation, CHP efficiency, and the growing pressure larger digital infrastructure developments would place on electricity networks in the years ahead.

Technical discussions at DataCentres North 2016 highlighted the growing role onsite gas-fired generation and CHP could play in future enterprise data centres. As facilities increased in scale, questions are emerging around long-term grid capacity, resilience, and energy efficiency.